


Shop

by ellebellebab



Category: Funhaus RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-27
Updated: 2015-05-27
Packaged: 2018-04-01 13:57:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4022446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellebellebab/pseuds/ellebellebab
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>tumblr prompt: so today I found a car shop called peek's garage and ofc I thought of Matt Peake so mechanic matt with three employees and three customers with that cars break a loooot</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shop

Matt had worked at the same shop since he’d became an apprentice at 19. Almost eight years later and with the owner retiring Matt only had one idea of how to not end u jobless and on the street in an industry that was over saturated. His boss thankfully offered him the place, tools and all for a very reasonable price and he may have overenthusiastically hugged the old man in a very unprofessional way once the papers were signed but it finally happened. Matt was now the proud owner of a (moderately used) Mechanic's shop. His first task as a new business owner was to spruce the place up a bit because his old boss was great but his shop was stuck in the 60s and Matt actually wanted to get customers. And his second task was to look for people to work there, the latter being exponentially more difficult.

He had a few people come in looking for jobs. He knew he’d need the help, considering he was still holding onto the shops old regulars and there was hope for an influx of new ones, and so he took people in for interviews. There were a few people that came in - some weren’t even mechanics.

He wanted to pull his hair out until one of the guys, who looked like he hadn’t ever been around a car with his perfectly styled hair and waistcoat, said: “So you don’t need anyone to do your books?” hopefully. Matt realised that, yes, he kind of did because a) his old boss used to be in charge of all the shops paperwork and Matt literally had no idea and b) this guy was kind of really adorable with his hazel eyes and his fucking magnificent smile.

Joel started the next day.

He still needed some more mechanics so he put an ad out (on Craigslist, of all places, but he was getting desperate and cars were actually starting to pile up) and held some more interviews. He was pleasantly surprised when a man with thick framed glasses and a truly unfair smile walked in and introduced himself as Lawrence. He’d been a mechanic for six years and was having trouble finding a place to work that he didn’t feel ostracized in . Matt just shrugged and said: “I just need someone to fix cars,” holding out his hand for Lawrence to shake.

He’d mentioned the next day while Lawrence was flushing a regulars motor if he knew of anyone who could perhaps be looking for a job. He really needed one more person if he was going to keep the shop going. Lawrence looked deep in thought before his face lit up and he pulled the pen out of his jumpsuit pocket to write on Matt’s grease stained hand.

“His name’s Spoole and I swear I’ve never met someone who can do an oil change quicker than him.”

He’d met with the guy and liked him straight away, his shy and almost self deprecating demeanor had been something Matt had instantly taken a shine to and he knew he’d fit in at the shop. He passed Sean his coveralls and grinned when he’d asked “Can I wear my hat?” before going to get changed.

Matt stood back later that day and surveyed the shop. Sean was living up to Lawrence’s words and changing a car’s oil quicker than Matt had ever seen and Lawrence was underneath an expensive looking Range Rover, his legs tapping on the ground from whatever song was playing on the radio.

“Good to see some people working around here.” Joel said behind his shoulder and he turned to look at the man tapping away on his laptop.

“I can fire you, you know?”

“But the books, boss!”

Matt’s stomach flipped at Joel’s careful use of the word ‘boss’. He just shook his head at the man before thankfully being saved by the front door of the shop, a loud ring of a bell sounding out

“The books better watch their mouth.” He said, grinning at Joel before turning towards the customer, his heart light.

His old customers had thankfully stayed and, thanks to the new sign outside proudly blinking ‘Peake’s’ against the afternoon sky and the flyers and newspaper spots Joel had sorted out (and he was absolutely right Matt really did need him), the shop had gotten an influx of new customers. Each of the men easily worked on at least 2 cars a day each and absolutely earning their paycheck.

Sean had exclaimed “It’s on time!? And it’s the right amount of money?” in a way that had Matt thanking Lawrence that he’d saved the other man from whatever place he’d been working in the first place.

 

It was one day when he’d been working on a car with an engine problem that he couldn’t quite pinpoint that he met James. The man burst into the office, looking very frazzled and very sweaty.

“My car started smoking I think it’s on fire also I kind of hit a pole with it, totally unrelated, but do you think you could look at it today?”

Matt had stood staring at the man in a probably unprofessional way before nodding dumbly and calling to the guys in the back that he was taking the tow out.

He’d learnt on the way to James’ car that the smoke from the car and the pole weren’t exactly unrelated and that the man worked at a television studio on the other side of town.  
  


“Is that why you hit the pole? Were you late?”

“Oh no, I was coming back from the gym and saw the cutest fucking dog on the side of the road and got distracted.”

“You got distracted by a dog?”

“It was a Labrador!”

“Uh huh.”

James had ended up doing quite a number on his bumper and the smoke was from a shattered water tank spilling its contents on the engine

“It looked like fire.” he’d shrugged.

 

Matt said he’d get to work on it right away and that he’d call him when it was ready, feeling his cheeks flare up when James winked at him as he said thanks.

Meeting Adam had been a bit less theatrical as meeting James had been., the man walking in at 5pm on a Friday and asking for a tune up on his Sedan. Matt was taken aback by his warm, genuine smile that was a rarity in L.A and, instead of telling him the shop was closed, he’d said yes.

It only took him an hour to look cars over so he asked if Adam wanted to just stick around and the man did, sitting on a bench near Matt and asking him things while he worked. Questions about the shop or his car or his favourite thing to eat for dinner. Anyone else and Matt would have thought they were being invasive but Adam’s easy going nature and the calm demeanor had Matt easily answering. He almost wished he’d taken a bit more time checking the man’s breaks when he was handing the keys over to Adam and bidding him farewell. A question lost on his lips as he watched the man drive out of the shop.

He actually hadn’t met Bruce at the shop. He’d been driving to work and had seen a man on the side of the road, looking far too angry at 6am, kicking the side of his car. The businessman in Matt had far too much curiosity and had pulled over.

 

“Uh, hi? You okay?”

“Does it look like I’m okay? This piece of shit just bailed on me and I have a job interview in about three seconds.”

The man had then leaned against the bonnet with his head in his hands and Matt cleared his throat, grinning at him.

“I’m Matt, I’m actually a mechanic.”

“I’m Bruce and you are a fucking angel.”

 

The old car had overheated, a small crack in the radiator to blame, and Matt had gone to his car, grabbing some electrical tape and a bar of soap as Bruce looked on bewildered.   
  


“This isn’t a fix all. You need to come into the shop so I can putty it up and order you a new one but this will do for now.”

 

He spread soap into the crack, fitting as much as he could in before sealing it all over with the electrical tape and filling up the water.

 

“Here, this is the address. Come on over after your interview.”

“I can’t thank you enough. Honestly, thank you.” Bruce had yelled, grabbing the business card Joel had made and sticking it in his back pocket, grinning at Matt and running to get into his car.

 

Matt had nodded and waved Bruce off, wearing a wide smile all the way into work and not even losing it when Joel yelled “Peake got laid! Look how happy he is! What’s his name?” across the break room.

It was a few weeks later when he saw James, Adam and Bruce again. Lawrence, Sean and himself had been working on one particularly problematic car that had Sean stumped and the other two unhelpfully scratching their heads.

James was in first.

Matt looked at the left side of the car, wincing at the missing side mirror and the dented and scraped looking door.

 

“Labrador?”

“Beagle.” James replied sadly and Matt clapped him on the back, chucking the keys at Lawrence and moving to the front office with James to start filling out the paperwork.

 

They were halfway through when Adam burst in.

 

“Matt.”

“Adam.”

“James.” Matt watched as the man smiled winningly at Adam and held his hand out for him to shake. Adam did graciously before turning to Matt and looking slightly exasperated.

 

“Something's wrong, I think she’s dying.”

“She?” James whispered.

“His car.” Matt shrugged.

 

They all walked outside to Adam’s car and Matt popped the bonnet.

“Everything seems okay.” he said before stopping and sniffing the air, walking around to the gas tank and wiping off some of the excess there.

“Did you just fill up?”

“Uh yeah like twenty minutes ago, then it just started dying”

“Adam your car takes unleaded petrol.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“I’m guessing you don’t know you put diesel fuel in your car.”

“You’d be right, I did not know that.”

 

He rolled his eyes and called Sean out, who waved meekly at the other men, and told him to flush the engine.

Matt had barely made it back inside with James and Adam when Bruce had pulled up, almost running into the front window.

 

“Matt, help.”

“Bruce?”

“Bruce!”

Matt turned to James at his exclamation and watched with raised eyebrows as the two men hugged.

 

“You two know each other?”

“We work together!”

“The job interview.” Matt said slowly, smiling when Bruce nodded.

“Thanks to you buddy. I need your miracle hands to help me again.”

“Sounds dirty.” Bruce and James turned and Adam shrugged.

“That’s Adam.” Matt said meekly.

 

Bruce explained his car was running fine but he thought his brakes were broken.

 

“Brakes can’t just be broken.”

“Well something's fucking wrong with it, James.”

“Your tires are bald and one of them is, like, completely flat.” Matt said, crouching down next to the rear right tire and looking up at the three men.

 

“Them's not the brakes”

“Shut up James.”

 

Matt shook his head and shooed the men inside the workshop, driving Bruce’s car in carefully and locking the shop up behind him, changing the sign in the front shop to ‘closed’

 

“Matt, hey Matt, have you met Joel? Honestly have you really met him though? Do you think someone as delicate as him belongs in a place like this?” He turned towards Bruce’s words and his eyes surveyed the rest of his shop.

Lawrence and Sean speaking to Adam and James respectfully about their cars - and probably puppies in James’ case. Bruce picking Joel apart and Joel giving back exponentially, “those shorts honestly offend me, what’s your name again - Bruce? I am offended by your shorts.”

He smiled and walked over to Bruce’s car to get to work on changing his tires. He wasn’t sure what exactly he’d had in mind when he’d opened his shop, but this was way more than he’d ever imagined or could ever ask for. 


End file.
